Saturday, November 22: One World Run

Paul Bilak is just about the cutest thing ever. There's really no better way to describe him. Super cute, sweet — his wife, Monica, and their three children are darling, too.

They're always up to good, those Bilaks. And since coming to Paducah six years ago from Kenya, they've created Project AIDS Orphan, a 501c3 organization that raises money to clothe, feed, educate and provide medicine to children living in the village of Kandaria and orphaned by the AIDS virus.

We featured Project AIDS Orphan during last year's World AIDS Day.

This year, in recognition of the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, Project AIDS Orphan is sponsoring a One World Run, set for Saturday, November 22, at Noble Park. A 5K for adults starts at 9 a.m., and a 1K for kids starts at 10 a.m., so that, in essence, kids can run for kids.

All the run's expenses are covered by these fabulous sponsors:

Lourdes Hospital
Western Baptist Hospital
Rehab Associates Physical Therapy
Paducah Bone & Joint Center
Transformation Wellness Center
Ageless Beauty Medical Spa
Purchase ENT
Grogan & Howard Surgeons
iList Paducah
Kyle Parish MD
Respiratory Disease Clinic
Dr. Richard Smith
Infectious Disease Associates
René Advertising
Horizon Media Group

Therefore, the $18 registration fee ($10 for kids) goes directly toward Project AIDS Orphan's work.

All participants receive a totally cool T-shirt. Individuals and groups are encouraged to participate — and the organization that brings in the most runners receives a framed piece of art from Nathan Brown's Tribeca show (details at right).

To sign up, just go to the Project AIDS Orphan Web site and follow the simple steps.

Local care providers, churches and the run's sponsors will set up booths and refreshments, and DJ Urban Kobbb will spin tunes from the iList Paducah booth.

Along with Paducah, the One World Run takes place in San Francisco, Atlanta, Santa Fe, Louisville and in international locations like Switzerland, France, New Zealand, Canada, Costa Rica and, of course, Kenya.

"With our work, and especially the One World Run, we want to remind people that AIDS is still an issue in our community and around the world," Paul says. "Just because we've made progress, and medications now keep people healthy for a long time, that doesn't mean we can stop talking about prevention, detection and social acceptance."

Paul Bilak, David and Justine Okong'o and Nathan Brown in Kandaria.

A Little Background
The idea for Project AIDS Orphan came about after the Bilaks returned to the US from their three-year stint in Africa where Paul was working for a local missionary hospital. He became close friends with his supervisor, David Okong'o. While the Bilaks were in Africa, David's brother and sister-in-law died from AIDS, and David found himself responsible for his two nephews.

Paul shakes hands with David's father and promises to return to Kandaria to help.

"He paid their school fees and other expenses, and we helped out occasionally," Paul says. "When we came back to the states, we could help more. So we'd send a couple hundred dollars every now and then. Our family and friends took an interest in what we were doing, so we created this not-for-profit 501c3."

Since then, Project AIDS Orphan has provided school lunches and mosquito nets, and helped purchase cows, goats and chickens so that the villagers can sell milk and eggs.

Among many other services, Project AIDS Orphan underwrites a school lunch program for Kandaria's children orphaned by AIDS.

The group has also raised money to dig wells and installed a play pump which, in essence, is a merry-go-round that pumps water into a tank while kids have fun at play.

Paul and his team are working on an irrigation program for the village and hope to build a health clinic.

“We’ve accomplished a lot, including improving education and health care, and providing Kenyan adults with self-sustaining incomes through the establishment of a working farm," Paul says. "But there is still much to be done. We hope everyone in Paducah will come out for, and support, the One World Run. It's a very easy way to help make a very big difference in the lives of these children."

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